Sacred Life Sunday: As easy as walking..

Today is the first day in the past few weeks that I've been able to go for an aimless walk.

Over the past few weeks it's simply been too hot so this morning was particularly satisfying. I stood under trees and looked up, paid special attention to the gardens in the neighborhood, stopped by Starbucks for a lemonade/green tea drink, wandered some more, petted a few meandering cats, watched the cars go by, sat on the lawn watching the breeze in the trees, went into a store to buy some peaches and leisurely walked home.

I walk a lot ordinarily. It's the best exercise in the world because it's something we do naturally anyway. Something tells me human beings were not designed to be transported everywhere in vehicles. I also suspect that aggressive, purposeful walking is not what we were designed to do. We're designed to walk. Just walk.

I walk almost everywhere in Thailand, too. Thai people walk... a lot! When they need to get somewhere, they might ride a moped or a small motorcycle but it seems they walk for the most part. It's only been recently that so many people have cars. The roads have not had a positive effect on the landscape. Still, there are always plenty of places to walk. There are always plenty of others doing it and plenty of things to see.

Sometimes it's interesting to just get on the bus to another part of the city and then walk around there. The Midtown area is one of my favorites because there are lots of old Victorians, interesting shops and interesting people. Some of the best spontaneous conversations I've ever had in this area have been around L Street, Cesar Chavez Park and McKinley Park.

It is a comfort knowing that in a few short weeks, autumn will be coming and there will be a greater opportunity to aimlessly walk.

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Sacred Life Sunday: Walking Meditation

I have an aversion to aggressive movement. Hammering a nail is uncomfortable because the jerking, pounding motions feel unnatural.

It's been a problem for me with many work-out routines in that it almost seems I have to be angry to make the motions meaningful.

That's why I've gravitated to things like yoga and tai chi. Qigong. Things that include slow, fluid movements and lots of stretching.

Lately I've been turning my walks into meditation time. (Sitting meditation drives me nuts. I have the attention span of an infant and just can't make it work.) Walking meditation serves the purpose of exercise for my body as well as my mind. It gives me a chance to pay attention to how my feet feel on the ground, the scents around me, the sounds, the atmosphere.

The best thing is that it really helps to somehow integrate my mind and body, to draw them together instead of always feeling somehow at odds with my body - as though it is something separate to be carried around. I've always had an incongruous relationship with my body and feeling disconnected from it.

Those who have a much faster pace of life than mine will probably find it useful for intentionally slowing down and feeling more connected to their environments, not mindlessly going from one task to another.

I've found that it's best to find a place where I will be uninterrupted by traffic. A local park, around the neighborhood or even in a large department store. All of those settings work. At least for me, I've found it needs to be outdoors, not on the treadmill.

Try it. You'll probably like it. :)

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